Volume 18| March, 2023 ISSN: 2795-7365

Advantages and Disadvantages of

Text-Based Language Teaching to
Future Pedagogues

Quvanov Azamat Ziyadulla 2nd course of master degree in the department of foreign
o‘g‘li languages Jizzakh state pedagogical university
Jabbarova Anora Javliyevna Scientific supervisor: Associate Professor
Jizzakh state pedagogical university
The use of text-based communication for English language teaching has become
increasingly popular in recent years. This approach offers several advantages, including
greater flexibility, convenience, and accessibility. However, it also has some
ABSTRACT

disadvantages, such as the potential for misinterpretation and the lack of opportunity
for real-time interaction and feedback. This paper explores the advantages and
disadvantages of text-based English language teaching, drawing on existing research
and professional experience.

Keywords: Flexibility, accessibility, cost-effectiveness, synchronous learning,

asynchronous learning, social interaction, nonverbal cues

We live in a world of texts, surrounded • Exposure to authentic language:

with texts everywhere, spoken, written, offline,
online. It is language in texts that people
produce for communication in their real life,
not as isolated sentences (Thornbury, 2005). In
communicating, communicators exchange
meaning. When people communicate with each
other meaningfully, they create a text together.
And when people write meaningfully for others,
they also create a text (Agustin, 2020)
The ability to understand a text written
in their target language and to extract the key
information from it is an important learning
objective for many second language learners.
Whether it’s deciphering a menu, a travel
timetable or completing a residency form,
language learners must have a wide experience
of handling all types of text.
The text-based language teaching
methodology is therefore widely used to build
overall communication skills and fluency in a
second language. Advantages of text-based
language teaching
When students are taught a foreign language
through written texts, they are exposed to
authentic language use. This can help them
develop a better understanding of how the
language is used in context and improve their
ability to use the language themselves.
• Development of reading skills:
Using texts to teach foreign languages can help
students develop their reading skills. This is
because reading requires students to focus on
the words, sentence structure, and overall
meaning of the text.
• Increased vocabulary: Texts
often contain a rich variety of vocabulary,
which can help students expand their
vocabulary and improve their understanding of
the language.
• Flexibility: Texts can be used to
teach a wide range of language skills, including
grammar, vocabulary, and comprehension.
This makes them a flexible tool that can be
used to meet a variety of language learning
needs.

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Disadvantages of text-based language
teaching
• Limited exposure to spoken
language: Text-based teaching methods may
not provide students with sufficient exposure
to spoken language, which is an essential
aspect of language learning. This can make it
difficult for students to develop their listening
and speaking skills.
• Lack of interaction: Texts do not
provide opportunities for interaction and
communication, which are important for
developing language skills. This can make it
difficult for students to practice using the
language in a meaningful way.
• Lack of cultural context: Texts
may not always provide a clear cultural context
for the language being taught. This can make it
difficult for students to understand the cultural
nuances of the language.
• Difficulty with motivation: Some
students may find text-based teaching methods
boring or unengaging. This can make it difficult
for them to stay motivated and focused on
learning the language.
Materials and method of research: When
researching the topic, method of experiment, as
well as empirical method were used.
Research results and their discussion
Teaching English by text to future
pedagogues has been the subject of numerous
research studies, which have yielded a variety
of results and discussions. In this response, we
will discuss some of the key findings and
debates related to this topic. One of the
primary advantages of teaching English by text
is that it can be an effective way to develop
students' reading and comprehension skills. By
engaging with a range of written texts, students
can improve their ability to analyze, interpret,
and evaluate information. Additionally,
exposure to a variety of genres and styles of
writing can help students build their
vocabulary and grammatical knowledge. The
term text-based teaching used in this paper
refers to teaching using a genre/text- based
approach. The genre-based approach (GBA)
derives from Halliday's theory of language as
social semiotic, ... language as a resource for
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ISSN: 2795-7365
making meaning (Hasan, 2014) The genre
theorists opine those teachers are responsible
for intervening in the learning process, and
they should teach bow genres are typically
constracted (Emilia, 2005).
Another benefit of teaching English by
text is that it can provide a rich source of
cultural and historical context. By studying
works of literature, students can gain insights
into the social, political, and cultural contexts in
which they were produced. This can help
students develop a more nuanced
understanding of the English language and its
role in global communication. However, there
are also challenges associated with teaching
English by text. One of the main challenges is
that texts can be difficult to interpret and
comprehend, especially for students who are
not native speakers of English. This can be
particularly challenging for pedagogues who
are not proficient in English themselves, as
they may struggle to effectively guide students
through complex texts. GRA has pedagogical
and political aims. It is a pedagogical project
motivated by a political project, ie, to teach and
facilitate someone to have skills and knowledge
enabling them to participate effectively in a
literate, technologically developed society, to
be successful in school and beyond (Kress,
1993. Derewianka, 2015). It encourages
reading and writing various text types or genes
(Feez & Joyce, 1998). A model of GBA
commonly used is the model of Feez and Joyce,
which has five stages as follows: (1) Building
the context, (2) Modeling and deconstructing
the text. (3) Joint construction of the text. (4)
Independent construction of the text, (5)
Linking related texts (Feez & Joyce, 1998).
Another challenge is that texts can be
relatively static, and may not provide
opportunities for students to practice speaking
and listening skills. This can be particularly
problematic for students who are learning
English as a second language, as they may
struggle to apply the knowledge they gain from
reading texts to real-world situations.
According to Feez and Joyce’s 1998
work on the teaching and learning cycle, text-
based instruction is directly based on a
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Volume 18| March, 2023
language teaching model which focuses on 4
key elements.
Teaching explicitly about the structures
and grammatical features of spoken and
written texts.
Linking spoken and written texts to the
cultural context of their use.
Designing units of work which focus on
developing skills in relation to whole texts.
Providing students with guided practice
as they develop language skills for meaningful
communication through whole texts.
The Methods In ELT blog actually
identifies 8 different types of texts. They are:
1) Procedures (e.g instructions to build
a piece of furniture or a recipe to cook a dish)
2) Explanations (e.g. text that explains
how and why things work / occur)
3) Expositions (e.g. magazine /
newspaper features or reviews, views and
debate pieces)
4) Factual recounts (e.g. newspaper
reports in print or online)
5) Personal recounts (e.g. diary/blog
entries, interviews, biographies,
autobiographies)
6) Information reports (e.g. fact sheets)
7) Narratives (e.g. stories and fiction
writing)
8) Conversations and short functional
texts (e.g. text and SMS messages,
formal/informal letters, e-mail)
Text-based teaching provides
powerful mixed curriculum for students
combining a variety of components of text such
as grammar, vocabulary, topics and functions.
It can be used to integrate oral communication
with reading and writing and teaches key
concepts through the mastery of different text
forms rather than in isolation.
However, critics have argued that text-
based teaching is primarily focused on the
products of learning (i.e outputs) rather than
the processes involved. They have also
identified that the approach is heavily
dependent on the repetitive review of model
texts and that the creation of new text is solely
based on those models. Educators do therefore
need to ensure that opportunities for
individual creativity and personal expression
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are maximised when using this approach to
their language teaching.
Conclusion
In conclusion, text-based instruction can
be a useful approach for teaching a foreign
language to future pedagogues. However, it is
important to consider the advantages and
disadvantages of this approach and to balance
it with other methods that emphasize
interactive, communicative, and cultural
aspects of language learning. By combining
various methods, teachers can provide a more
comprehensive and effective language learning
experience for their students.
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